Amazon launches unlimited e-book subscription plan

US online giant Amazon unveiled a Netflix-style subscription plan Friday for unlimited access to e-books and audio books.

Subscribers will be able to access the books on Amazon’s Kindle tablets, as well as other devices with a Kindle app, including iPads and iPhones, Windows devices and Android-powered mobile gadgets.

“Finding a great book is easy, and there are never any due dates,” Amazon said in its announcement.

“Customers can choose from bestsellers like ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings.’”

About 2,000 audio books will also be available through the Audible service.

The service is being launched for US customers, with other countries likely to follow.

Amazon is using a model made popular by Netflix for films and television programmes, but also by services such as Spotify for music.

In the book segment, similar services are offered by Scribd, which offers some 400,000 titles for $8.99 per month, and Oyster, which charges $9.95 for access to its catalog of 500,000 books.